


It doesn't take the 60s

by Vigilant_Insomniac



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Ben Hargreeves Needs A Hug, Blood and Injury, But it's okay. He'll learn, Gaslighting, Gen, Homophobia, Hurt/Comfort, Klaus Hargreeves Whump, Klaus Hargreeves-centric, Luther Hargreeves Being an Asshole, Luther is in this so there will be, No Incest, Number Five is a good brother, POV Alternating, Protective Ben Hargreeves, Sickfic, Spoilers for Kafka's metamorphosis, Why must this even be a tag, at least at first, even though it is
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-23
Updated: 2020-09-07
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:41:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 14,444
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26071330
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vigilant_Insomniac/pseuds/Vigilant_Insomniac
Summary: It's 2020 and He only took a walk. He didn't even make it down two streets. He would have expected this in the 60s. Not Now, not basically in front of his house.__________Klaus doesn't come back from his late night walk. Before the apocalypse, no one would have batted an eye, but now things are different and his family gets their act together, just not after wasting time on arguing of course.And in the mess of it, Klaus stumbles over a new power that may or may not be totally useless :D
Relationships: Ben Hargreeves & Klaus Hargreeves, Number Five | The Boy & Klaus Hargreeves, The Hargreeves Family
Comments: 95
Kudos: 464





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you enjoyed, pls gimme that sweet sweet validation by leaving a comment. 
> 
> or just tell me what sucked lol
> 
> Also, I'm not a native speaker! So if you see a repeating mistake, tell me pls. I don't wanna die uneducated qwq

Five was sipping on coffee. His own blend and it was heavenly.  
After everything was sorted out with the not-end-of-the-world he had been a restless wreck. It wasn't until Klaus suggested him to pick up a hobby that he was finally able to direct his energy somewhere.  
At first he had thought Klaus was being snippish, like a lot of his siblings were when talking to him, which, fair.  
But no, Klaus had actually been genuine.  
He had pulled out a set of knitting needles and a half finished, atrocious looking scarf and told Five proudly how he taught himself and used this when the cravings were too strong. 

It took them a bit of bouncing ideas and trying things out (do not remind him of his attempt of learning an instrument. Vanya almost went apocalyptic when she walked in on him mishandling a poor and innocent guitar) and him and Klaus eventually came up with, well, coffee. 

So now he had a way to both get his caffeine fix AND a way to channel his obsessive energy. 

His bliss was interrupted by a knock on the doorframe of the kitchen he was sitting in.  
He didn't jump, because, duh. Time-traveling assassins don't get startled.  
But he was still surprised at anyone being down here at 3:30 in the morning...night? 

He raised an eyebrow in greeting. 

In the doorframe stood Klaus, looking fairly disheveled. Dark circles under his eyes, hair a mess of dark curls. He could tell that his outfit was just thrown on by grabbing whatever lay around.  
Aka one of Allison's long black skirts, boots he didn't bother to lace, and a long sleeve sweater, that looked normal enough from the front, but of course had a revealing cutout on the back. 

Funnily enough, even with something that he grabbed off the floor of the mess he called his room, Klaus still looked amazing. Dolores would probably love to exchange fashion tips… even if she was very partial to sequins and bright colors and did, in fact, lack the legs to pull off most skirts. Literally. 

"hi fiveyyy, glad that I can always count on your insomnia~... Wait is this coffee? You do realize that caffeine and sleep don't mix. You don't want to stunt your growth even more, do you? Also I know I recommend this whole hobby thing, but I'm starting to feel a bit intervention-y. You know, caffeine addictions are a thing, Oh! Do you think we could get on "my strange addiction" with this?... Yea no, you're right, Ben, Diego and his knives would be much more entertai-"

"What do you want, Klaus." Five interrupted before he had to listen to Klaus’ side of a convo about Diego's knife and leather fetish. Way too late/early for this shit. 

Klaus' attention snapped back to him as if he had kind of forgotten that he had even been talking to him initially. Typical though. Klaus had the attention span of a goldfish. whether it was lasting damage from drugs, the ghosts, ADD, or even Ben talking to him, he couldn’t tell.

"ah, right. Just wanted to check out with you. Gonna go on a quick walk and Ben won't shut up until I honor our pact." he rolls his eyes into the direction of probably Ben. Or he just rolled his eyes. 

"I'm glad Ben is willing to lend you his braincell then." he took another sip of his coffee, content that he could probably insult two idiots at the price of one. Don't get him wrong, he loved his family. But they WERE big idiots. Even the smart ones like Ben.  
"well, take care. And remember, don't take candy from strangers." 

An indignant huff from Klaus "says the child… but yea. Ben will take care" and he left with a wink. 

Five just shook his head to himself.  
He checked the time again. Well the night was still young. Maybe he should try and do some calculations. The caffeine was giving him some good energy to burn and there still were some loose ends with The Commission. 

So he got up, secretly glad for how his bones didn't creak with age. And went to his room to join Dolores and write on his walls. 

~~~

Knocks on his door pulled him out of his thoughts. He looked around, slightly dazed, chalk was in his hand, the walls were full and the first milky fogs of light filtered through the windows. 

Early morning. Huh. 

He was so caught up in his calculations he didn't even notice the time passing. 

"What." he yelled as a reply to the knocking. Wincing a bit as his voice broke. Damn puberty. 

"Breakfast!" came the reply yell. Diego. 

"So?" it’ss not like he was needed to attend like in the good old days of Hargreaves. 

"We're out of eggs." 

"So." his patience was draining quickly. "Just out with it. Some people are in the middle of something" 

"... in the middle of-.... It's not even 6 a.m. How are you already in the middle of anything. Okay no, forget that. Anyways, we need you to-" 

Five blinked to open the door so his brother could read from his face how little he cared. 

"-blink to the store and get some?" Diego finished almost meekly. "the next store that's open at this time is half an hour by car and…" he trailed off. Probably rightfully intimidated by Five's scrowl. Five had a good one. all top notch assassins had.

"Why don't you go there then. We both know that we wouldn't be out of eggs if you and Luther had a normal relationship with them. Seriously. I've seen you slurp them raw which is frankly disgusting."  
He was already getting a headache. And he felt like he was forgetting something. 

" aw come on man, just two jumps. We can set up breakfast in the meantime and prepare your coffee? Vanya is supposed to come over for early training, and it'd be nice if we could just have a nice breakfast before that" dammit Diego. He and his ruthlessness to exploit his weaknesses. He had him at "Vanya". 

With the sigh of utter annoyance he relented. 

And it was a fair request he supposed.  
So he blinked. 

~~~~

He was back and in the kitchen before his Family had set the table. He gave Vanya a curd nod, who must have arrived in the few minutes he took to check out at the register. 

It had been event-less enough, but Five’s impression that he was forgetting something had grown steadily. It must have been about the equations. When he gets back to his room, Dolores will probably snort at him and point him towards some foolish mistake. God he loved his woman. 

Pushing aside his uneasiness, he handed Diego the eggs and went to prepare his Coffee. Sure Diego had said that he would prepare it, but as if he could trust him with something of that much importance. 

He turned from the counter to look at his family while the Water heated. 

Vanya was barely awake… he would share some coffee with her. she looks like she could use some. 

Allison was busy setting the table, and Luther and Diego were discussing the best “egg to everything else” ratio for pancakes. They had decided to give Mom a break and take care of their own meals more often… but things were still new, and both Diego and Luther were not used to cooking, but were also very stubborn pricks who were above recipes. 

Five wished Klaus was here. With his past of living short term with how many questionable people, he had picked up a lot of cooking skills. Really outlandish stuff even. always good surprisingly. His time with the army further solidifying his skills to even cook for a whole platoon.  
Aka he was perfectly equipped to cook for a family that had someone like Luther at the table. 

He was still grieving the pancakes that were bound to turn out weird, when he suddenly felt plunged into cold water. Shit. 

“Where is Klaus.” 

“probably still asleep. He didn’t react when I knocked earlier. but suit himself, if he doesn’t want breakfast.” Luther sounded just as dickish as he usually does. But something about it was ticking Five off this time. 

“But he WAS home, right?” Five’s neck hair started to raise.

“I’m not his babysitter.” deadpanned Luther in reply. yea no, that doesn’t make it better.

“you are so useless” Five blinked away before Luther could waste more oxygen. That boy should really start carrying around a plant to replace all the air he wasted. 

When he got to Klaus’ room a moment later, he was greeted with emptiness. Furrowing his eyebrows, Five checked out the bathroom, Ben’s room and a few other places he knew his Brother likes to hang out in.  
But nothing. 

he blinked back. 

“have any of you seen Klaus today.” his tone was steady, but he did start to feel a rising sense of dread that he did not like. 

His siblings shook their heads with earnesty, to, in Luther’s case, annoyance. 

“Shit.” 

“Why, what’s wrong with that?” Allison said with only mild concern in her voice. She did pick up on Five’s urgentness of course, but she was obviously unsure about why it was there in the first place. 

He exhaled before replying because he knew this was going to be an annoying conversation to come. And going by his gut feeling, they probably did not have the time. “He hasn’t come back from his walk then. Klaus left almost three hours ago. He said it was going to be a quick walk. He should have long since been back. Something must be wrong.”

He felt a vein pop when Luther scoffed. 

“Yes Luther? You want to share with the class?” his eyes must have hot Daggers that Diego would have been proud of… But Luther never really picked up on those things. 

“You are not seriously implying that him not showing up after a few hours is anything to raise an eyebrow at. He’s a junky. Since when do we trust in his reliability. He’s probably just off getting high somewhere, or puking in an alley. No need to disrupt our family time over this.”  
Luther crossed his arms and Five… Five was seething.

Before he could open his mouth to spit venom though, A whole carton worth of eggs assaulted The Ape-brain. Go, Vanya!

Everyone was frozen, looking between Vanya and Luther. This was new.  
Sure, Vany had gotten much feistier since she was off her mood-blockers… but standing up to Luther, who she still feared over the cell incident (everyone but Luther could tell by her body language), for someone else even… Five was so proud. 

“How dare you.” she was standing. Her small frame not taking away any of her intimidation. “How dare you, speak like that about Klaus. I thought we were all finally becoming a family, without shutting anyone out. So what? That was just hot air? You just said that all, because it’s the easiest way to not make me into a time-bomb, that doesn’t involve locking me up? It’s all just a ruse? I can’t believe you right now!” The table had started shaking and the plates and utensils were clattering with her rage. But Five was impressed at her restraint. 

“whah. no. Wait Vanya you need to calm down. We all know this is different. this is just Klaus we are talking about. You know how he is.”

This time Five stepped in. he could tell that Vanya had VERY strong feelings about this, but so did he. and both Allison and Diego looked ready to step in. But this was about Klaus. not a (very due) fight between Vanya and Luther. 

“Luther? shut up. If you had paid attention to your team like a good leader, you would have known that Klaus has been sober for months. He hasn’t given any of us reason to not trust him in a long time. And before you start. Yes. it could be a relapse. Addiction is a lifelong struggle. But if he really went to get high, that’s even more reason to go look for him. He worked hard for his Sobriety. And if he had a relapse, then we will help him. That’s what a family does. God knows we have let him fight this alone for too long.  
AND. if that was even necessary. He and I have a pact to prevent something like the Hazel and Cha-Cha situation- and my disappearance 17 years ago. We tell each other when we go out and come back. Or at least we leave a note. So when I say, this is bad, get your head out of your butt and listen.”

Thankfully Luther had the decency to look ashamed and stopped arguing. Good. Now they might actually get somewhere. 

“What’s the plan.” Diego piped up. Obviously glad as well that they could finally get in gear. Nods from the rest. Vanya still eyed Luther with thinly veiled contempt but sat down. The table stilled again. 

“He went on a walk around 3:30- Ben was with him. He said “short” so I doubt he would have gone further than anything in a 15 min radius. He seemed to not have slept, probably nightmares, so I think he would avoid any ghost heavy areas. So the direction of the Hospital and the graveyard are out. With our numbers we can spread out in all other directions. we can make a groupcall so we can use our phones as communicators. Let’s go. But stay alert. we don’t know if this isn’t a kidnapping situation.”

They all left with the determinedness of a mission and no one would have been able to tell that Vanya wasn’t used to this. Five allowed himself a spike of pride for his baby sister before he blinked out into the morning. 

It only took ten minutes before Diego’s distressed voice reached them all through their phones. 

Klaus had never made it more than two streets down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't plan on making this a whole chapter just about Five's POV ... but this little pycho is so fun to write!  
> also, I personally like it a lot when the person that gets whumped, gets observed from an outside pov. 
> 
> anyways, hope you enjoyed!


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW for violence and Homophobia. Like. It's not fun times.
> 
> And here's some Klaus POV

Klaus couldn’t sleep. Not for the lack of trying, mind you. He’s been lying in bed for  _ hours _ now, alternating between meditating, having Ben read to him and listening to music. 

Nothing worked though. The ghosts in his room didn’t need sleep and were selfish bastards that didn’t care that he did, indeed, need sleep.    
He’s been sober for a long while now. His personal record even. But that didn’t make it any less hard and sleep deprivation did  _ not _ help. He was craving. Like ants under his skin.    
  
He sat up with a groan “Benny boy, I think I’m gonna take a walk, wanna come?” -not like Ben needed to be asked. Still, giving options was nice. Like asking him where they should go to eat. It sounds cruel, but Ben could still live somewhat vicariously through him. And if watching Klaus eat waffles makes him happier, then watching him eat pancakes, who is he to deny him this little bit of joy?    
  
“Yea sure, let’s. Wanna get food or just walk?”    
“I think I’m good with just a walk. We’ll be having breakfast in like... 4 hours? And I do kinda wanna join in, you know, lighten up the room? You know how dreadfully grumpy some of our lovely sibs can be early in the morning. So totally gonna save them from grunting out an awkward conversation. Even if I have to end up making the'' he lets out a yawn ”breakfast. don’t want Vanya to get food poisoning from Luther’s cooking… I wonder if that would make her go apocalyptic” he gestured an explosion with his hands before collecting some clothes off the floor, not even bothering to sniff at them. He wasn’t meeting anyone and Ben can’t smell anyways. He wasn't really picky with what went together either. Mainly just reaching for something soft and comfy, but the thing about being a fashion idol is: everything goes with everything if you have the balls.

“Wait- what if  _ you _ got food poisoning… if you weren’t dead I mean. Would They go on a rampage? Imagine that: the apocalypse, caused by a bad pancake.” he chuckled while putting on his sweater.    
Ben just deadpanned. “If Luther cooks, take Vanya and run. But no, actually, I did have food poisoning once, and I think it actually freaked Them out more than me. They wouldn’t let me even close to lasagna in months. I think it traumatized Them.” Klaus let that image run through his mind. Not even surprised though. It would be weird if any sentient being that spent some time in this house  _ wouldn't  _ be traumatized. 

They made their way down the stairs in the silent house towards the front door.    
“Good to know. So basically Garfield is Cthulhu's nemesis? Who'd have thunk.”    
Klaus was about to leave, but Ben stopped him in his tracks.    
  
“You’re forgetting something.”    
  
“No I’m not. I got my keys and look, I’m even wearing boots.” he wriggled his toes, even if Ben couldn’t see them because they were, in fact, in his shoes. He was really nailing the whole sobriety thing.    
  
“I meant The Pact, Klaus.”   
  
“Oh come-on. It’s 3 something in the morning and I’ll be gone for what. 15 minutes? We’re already at the door.”    
  
“You promised Five.”   
  
Ah Little Girl dammit. Ben was shooting him the no-nonsense glare. It’s super effective.    
  
“okay  _ fine _ . I’ll leave a note in the kitchen.”    
  
“good boy” 

Klaus flipped him off.    
  
~~~~~~   
  
Surprisingly, there was still light in the Kitchen. Or maybe not so surprising. They were a family of super-traumatized people. There’s no lack of reasons for insomnia in this house. No siree.    
  
So after a small chat with Five, who really should rethink his caffeine intake, they were  _ finally _ good to go. Just a quick walk, some fresh air, and then back to bed for hopefully some sleep till breakfast. Maybe he was even lucky and the ghosts that had been in his room would leave once he was gone for a bit. 

He was pretty sure the lady with the axe in the skull was at least a hobby opera singer. Such  _ volume.  _   
  
The air outside was crisp and he slightly regretted the open back shirt, but getting his coat seemed like a hassle as well.    
  
“At least that way you’ll keep the walk actually short” came Ben's comment after Klaus rubbed his hands. Always the mother hen.    
  
“Don’t challenge me.” Even if Ben was right of course.    
  
Klaus decidedly turned left after the gate. Away from the direction of his old hunting grounds, and the direction with the least ghost hotspots.    
  
Despite .. or maybe even because of the crisp air, it was a really pleasant walk. It was still quiet, no cars, no people and only a handful of ghosts that wandered around aimlessly.    
  
But for Klaus good things never lasted. Maybe it was some sort of karma.

The Little Girl knows he hasn't been the best person. Or even a good one if he was honest with himself.    
  
He was about to pass an alley that, from his extensive alley knowledge, didn't connect to anyplace worth visiting. This wasn't a bad part of town, but well, even high society makes trash. 

Nasty sneering tried to catch his attention.    
  
“Keep walking, Klaus.” Ben warned. Not like he had to, really. Klaus had lived on the streets long enough to know not to react to anything that was clearly meant as provocation.   
  
It didn’t stop at the sneer though. Because of course it wouldn't. Oh boy. He  _ just _ wanted some peace.    
  
“Hey F*g.” Klaus didn’t even flinch but maybe the sweat that started to gather on his skin was gonna betray him regardless. “What’s up with the dress? huh?”    
  
Klaus kept walking. 

They were probably busy with a drug deal or some other illegal activity anyways and wouldn't risk a scene… Right? He glanced sideways to Ben who was decidedly less chill. But well, Ben didn't really have to watch his body language in situations like this. Not like Klaus usually did either, but sobriety made him wiser. 

Some more unsavory comments reached his ears. 

Or hey, maybe they were just drunk and spat at anything that moved. This was nothing. He experienced the 60s. He’s been openly gay for all his life. This was nothing. Just some words.    
  
Apparently mcFuckface wasn’t alone. No of course not. Would have been too easy then.    
Cheering echoed the asshole’s slurred words mixed with words that were meant to hurt. But words don't hurt. And he was used to this. He was  _ desensitized,  _ right??    
  
“Klaus get out of there. They are 6 people and  _ definitely _ on something more than alcohol.” Ben let his composure slip if he even had any left. Urgency now laced his voice, and Klaus couldn't agree more with the plan. Yes. Getting out of this was good. Getting out of here. Then going home. Back to bed. No drugs. No, he didn't need them. This wasn't upsetting, right? He was solid teflon. Words didn't hurt. Right?

He definitely wasn’t cold anymore as the adrenaline started to do its work.

Fight, flight or freeze~ what will it be?    
  
“where do you think you’re going, we were talking to you, Sissy.”   
  
“KLAUS!”    
  
Ignoring them apparently wasn't the way to go, Klaus realised, because then a hand grabbed his shoulder and made him turn around forcefully. Foul breath assaulted his senses and the man's fingers digged into his flesh very unpleasantly. Definitely not the kind of grip that could be swatted away so easily. 

Guess the choice of 'flight' was already taken from him. For now. Maybe after some  _ fight _ he could get it back. God he just wanted to sleep. 

But yea. So much for just exiting the stage on the left. 

He shot another nervous glance at Ben before facing The Crap-under-someone's-shoe with a trained expression of unimpressed-ness. 

  
  
“Why, you like it? I could  _ absolutely _ give you some fashion tips, if you want, hon, But I’m afraid I got places to be.” Klaus knew not to show fear. To just stay casual, not react, not give them the quivering that they seeked out. And then get going again. But the hand only gripped harder, encouraged by his buddies' sneers and shouts. Groups like that really were the worst. It just  _ spiraled _ so easily

Klaus' heart was really starting to get with the program too, which, with the absolute lack of sleep lately, left him feeling offputtingly lightheaded. 

If he didn't get out of this with words, fast….God he hated violence. Even if you just defend. Just the rush of adrenaline alone would make him queasy. He might be an (ex) junky, but this whole _blood and_ _punches_ thing really was more of a Diego thing. 

Like, really, him and his vigilante business? Maybe they should have a family intervention soon. Five for his coffee addiction and Diego for a multitude of things really. 

But maybe he could also understand the knives. And the leather. 

Right now, in his long flowy skirt and the open back sweater, he felt strangely exposed. Usually this WAS his armor. 

He can walk around town and no one would question his confidence, his stance on gender norms and society. It gave him freedom and expression and  _ strength. _

But it was a double edged sword. 

  
  
“Shut up you bundle of sticks. You have the gall to walk around like you fucking belong here. But you and your kind are disgusting. There's no place for a disease like you in our country. You and your deranged friends will all burn in hell. God will make you all rot” Spit hit Klaus’s face at the increasing volume of the man’s rant and it awkwardly mixed with Ben’s encouragement to not listen to him. To get out. To not provocate…. To be fair, the whole "God" spiel wasn't very intimidating once you've met her in person. But telling this Mistake that God was a little girl of color who didn't really give a shit about any of them… Now THAT would be a provocation. 

  
“We should teach him a lesson!” shouted someone in the back. Klaus couldn’t tell who, it was too dark still and the man forced him more and more into the direction of the ally. 

And Okay! No. This was his cue. Enough was enough. He had training. He was a confident man. He fought in 'Nam. He was a fucking child soldier trained superhero.    
  
He punched the homophobe in his throat. 

Ben cheered. 

Very effective, and it doesn't bruise your knuckles. 10/10 recommend.

The man immediately let go as well and grabbed at his throat instead, making gasping noises between coughs. Psh. Drama queen. He'll live. 

But Klaus decided not to linger and took the chance to  _ get out of there _ . 

That was his plan. But he only managed a step before Ben's shout pierced his ear. 

It probably was supposed to say "behind you" but a burst of stars rudely cut him off. 

~~~

Klaus woke up to his head being lifted off the ground by his hair, an intense throbbing in the back of his head, stars in his vision, Ben's frantic panicking and an asshole spitting slurs in his face. 

Really there was a lot going on and God he missed the blackout from just a moment ago. Or the blissful numbness of drugs. 

Somewhere in his mind he realized that he should be panicking. This situation was beyond bad, he should be fighting. 

But between the spinning of the world around him and the confusion, he found it hard to connect the dots quite right, or move his limbs coordinated....It would probably be easier without the concussion. 

Then again, the dizziness and stuff probably came from the concussion in the first place. 

Klaus giggled at that. 

He hadn't been listening to the insults the man had hurled at him while shaking his head. Oh, he still had Klaus' hair in his grip. He'd have to wash it when he was back home. Who knew what the man had been touching. He didn't seem like the kind who washed his hands.

Something must have set off the man though. Since the shaking was now transformed into slamming his head on the ground, so many sparkly lights, and then lifted and turned so he could be yelled at more efficiently. 

Was it the giggles? 

Why was he giggling. 

Pain wasn't funny. But he felt so much pain and he had still giggled, that actually was kinda funny. 

His world tumbled from the force of a kick to his stomach. Good thing he was already on the ground….When did that happen?.. So he only rolled over. 

Oh and there was Ben. Why was Ben so distressed? Was it because of the stomach kick? Yea that must be it. It probably upset Them as well. Having to imagine getting kicked and all. Must be rough. He didn't wanna imagine that either. 

Good thing he didn't have to. Or was it a bad thing?

He frowned. 

Why were Ben's lips moving silently? Didn't he know that only Klaus could hear him anyways? 

"I 'an't 'ear you" oh wow. He shouldn't have been drinking. Had he been drinking? He must have if he was slurring so much. Would explain the dizziness and why Ben's face was so fuzzy. 

Right. Ben. 

He should probably have addressed Ben directly. As more kicks landed. God this hurt so much. Why did that man have so many shoes? He could definitely feel more than just one pair. 

Hello shoe addiction. That guy really needed an intervention. But Klaus only did those for people he cared for. 

And that ringing was getting seriously annoying. 

Oh, was that why he couldn't hear Ben?

It was so  _ loud. _

Klaus remembered he had to curl up for…  _ Reasons _ ? Would that make the pain go away? He really wanted the pain to go away. How was he supposed to sleep with all the ringing and the kicking. 

He wondered if he was doing the curling up thing properly. 

But something cracked and a fierce pain erupted in his left arm that momentarily drowned out all the other pains. 

His mind went from blank and bright white, back to muddied and syrupy. But with jalapeños in it.

He wondered, in between gasping for breath and groaning, if the cracking sound and the pain were connected. 

And what  _ was _ with all the pain?? 

Weren't ghosts only loud. And scary. And angry. And disgusting. And disturbing?

They couldn't touch him. Or could they? 

Were they angry now because he couldn't hear them over the ringing? 

Were the ghosts making that ringing noise? 

There must be so many of them here then. So many. All kicking and hurting and loud. 

He suddenly couldn't breathe  _ at all _ anymore. Was he back  _ there _ again? 

No, he can't, he can't be there. Not with all those angry ghosts that were tearing him apart. 

He could feel begging to be let out spilling from his lips. Along with something that tasted like bad memories. 

Thankfully though, and very slowly, despite the agony, darkness edged closer. So maybe they finally had taken pity on him after all. He really could do with sleep right now. He wondered for a moment if Ben would be okay without him. And was Ben's stomach okay? Hopefully he didn't have lasagna today. 

His brain became foggy soon after that final though and blackness took him like he was falling into an abyss made of cotton. 

He felt himself sinking and he let himself get dragged down down _down_. 

Finally he could sleep. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soo this was fun (?) to write?
> 
> Like... The whole "writing homophobic language and beating up my favorite character" was pretty terrible and painful. But writing how a character slowly loses grip on what's going on and becoming increasingly confused... That's fun from a writing standpoint
> 
> Now, next chapter... Ben pov? I'm not sure. But I guess between Klaus finally getting some "sleep" and Diego finding him, is gonna be a long ass time. And poor Ben just. Had to watch.
> 
> Seriously, the trauma that Ben must have accumulated since his death....


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW:
> 
> Okay so, Ben is really angery, thus there might be some pretty gruesome thoughts of revenge going through his head.
> 
> Also, there's review of Klaus' state. Aka descriptions of injuries. 
> 
> No one's having a good time here.

Ben was so done with finding himself in an alley and coaching his brother through a situation. They were supposed to be done with this shit, after not being on the streets anymore and finally getting Klaus sober. 

And it had  _ just _ been a walk. 

But oh no, of course things couldn't be that simple for a Hargreaves, no, if there isn't some blood or pain involved, it's not an outing. Wanna go shopping? Better bring some knifes! Oh? A trip to the cinema? Better be prepared to throw some punches! 

And how was it, that after  _ years  _ of just watching, he  _ still _ couldn't look out for his brother properly?

Klaus had just punched the bastard and was about to run, but Ben had been too distracted by the suddenness of it that he completely missed to warn his brother about the guy behind him. Even though he had seen him! He saw the guy. And the bottle. But he just forgot that Klaus probably wasn't aware? 

It was a lousy excuse, but still somewhat the reason. Ben wasn't a person. He didn't have a body. All he was, was consciousness….  _ Awareness _ . 

And without a body, awareness isn't restricted by sensory organs. 

This means on one hand, that he couldn't smell, or touch, or taste… Or even “see”. Since he had no organs that would pick up the impulses. Light goes through him, and doesn't reflect in his eyes. He has no retinas that could be hit by light. The world doesn’t interact with him. 

He was just a soul, consciousness,  _ awareness _ that kept the shape of "Ben" because that is what it had been used to for all its existence. 

But the shape was just a mirage and did not function like a flesh and bones body would. 

That also meant, he was now more used to perceiving things through the bubble of awareness that he was. It didn't matter if he closed his eyes or was turned away. He would still be  _ aware  _ of everything around him. 

After so many years though, he kept forgetting how living people perceived the world. That they could not tell what was around them all 360°. That Klaus could not just  _ know  _ that there was a man behind him, armed with a glass bottle. 

So when he had to watch as Klaus got hit in the head, he knew it was his fault. He had just forgotten. It was his fault. He should have warned his brother. But by the time Ben realized that Klaus was not aware of it, it was already too late. 

The glass made contact. Klaus crumpled to the floor and for way too many moments, didn't move a muscle. 

“NO! No, Klaus, get up, you have to get up!” 

  
He watched in horror as the bastard, who had started all this, crouched down next to Klaus’ moveless form and roughly gripped his hair.   
The words that now spilled out of this Excuse for a Human’s mouth made something twist in Ben’s stomach. The Horror was definitely not agreeing with how their favourite human was being treated either.   
  
Klaus opened his eyes a bit at the yelling but Ben saw how unfocused his gaze was.   
  
And then he fucking giggled.   
  
Klaus had the most inappropriate panic reactions Ben had ever seen. He _knew_ his brother didn’t do it intentionally, who even knew what was going on in his head right now. Judging by the puddle of blood that formed under him, Klaus was probably already beyond rational thinking.   
  
But the Asshole wasn’t that clever of course, and just thought Klaus had laughed about _him._   
Ben yelled at him to stop, begged him to, but he just slammed Klaus’ head on the ground.   
  
From there it just got worse. 

“Klaus, Klaus, do you hear me, you have to defend yourself.  _ Please!  _ at least put up your arms!”    
  
The kicking started and when Klaus rolled over from the force of it, Ben thought he saw something flicker in his eyes as he looked at Ben.   
But all he let out was a "I 'an't 'ear you" and he looked so  _ confused.  _ _   
_ _   
_ The other bastards joined in at this point and Ben knew he could do nothing but watch.    
  
But so he would.    
  
Ben looked at them. Really looked at them all. What they wore, how tall they were, their foot sizes, their haircuts, their facial features. He watched them and he would not forget.    
He burned their faces into his mind and once Klaus would be awake again they could tell the police, or better yet, Diego, and they all would pay.    
  
He rarely wished for a body as much as in moments like this. He wanted those men to pay. He wanted to spill their blood ten times for every single drop they made his brother bleed. If only he still had a body, he would let the Horror rip them apart until they were nothing more than bloody gunk in a gutter. He would watch, then, and enjoy it, just as the Horror would enjoy getting revenge for their favourite person. Ben didn’t like the Horror, but when it came to Klaus they were on the same page and would  _ gladly _ team up, if it meant that those bastards wouldn’t get to see another sunrise.    
  
By the time the group was finally done and leaving, Ben had memorized all possible details of who they were, and how he wanted to skewer each and every single one of them. 

The silence of the night was only broken by Klaus' distressed breathing. It was too loud and raspy. Too light and quick. Ben knew he must have broken ribs, he could only hope none of them punctured his lungs. 

Ben slumped down next to his brother and sat close to him. If Klaus woke up he would at least immediately know he wasn't alone. He let his fingers phase through hair in an imitation of a combing motion. More for himself than anything, really, and whispered continuous sweet nothings into the silence. 

He let out a sigh inbetween and thought about what was going to happen now. 

Klaus was completely out, for better or for worse, and steadily bleeding onto the dirty alley ground, for worse. 

It was maybe 4 a.m. by now. It had been hard to really keep track of time, but it couldn't be later than that. 

Five knew they were out for a quick walk. So maybe in another half an hour Five might try and send a text? And then another bit until he came looking? They weren't too far away from the house, and Klaus lay in a way that would be overlooked by someone who just went about their way, but not if someone was actively searching. 

So less than an hour. 

He looked at Klaus's state again. He was lying as a heap on the ground. More or less on his side. So he would probably not suffocate if he got sick. 

The blood that was still flowing from his head wound was moving sluggishly. So probably some time till bleeding out would be an issue. 

No bone broke the skin, even though he could tell at a glance that at least one of his arms was broken, along with ribs. Probably more. 

Klau's skin was already turning all shades of red and purple and blue from extensive bruising and his face was a mess. Split lip swollen  _ everything _ . His nose might be broken as well as his right cheek. And as the minutes passed, a sheen of sweat settled over any exposed skin. Any swelling and bruising only kept looking worse. Hopefully the damage stopped on the outside. Ben wasn't sure Klaus would make it long if he had any internal bleeding. 

But even without possible internal bleeding, this would be a bitch to heal, with only limited use of painkillers and there was no telling how much damage his head took, and how much of this was going to be permanent. 

Klaus let out a cough. Wet and wheezing. And Ben could just watch as a trickle of blood made its way from his brother's mouth to the ground where it mixed with the bigger puddle. 

Where the hell was Five?? They had The Pact for this exact reason. 

Irritation made itself at home alongside worry and fear. 

He didn't want to leave Klaus alone, but he needed to know that Five at least started to become worried. He needed to know that he wouldn't have to watch Klaus  _ die _ . 

He knew Klaus could revive. But it wasn't a reset, it didn't magically stitch Klaus' body back together, it only fixed what broke him. It only took back that final straw. 

With something like an overdose, or even a cracked skull… That worked out. 

But even then, Ben always felt as if some part of Klaus never came back from there, wherever he went. His eyes would stay hollow for days after, until life returned to them bit by bit, but never fully. Never how it used to be. 

Dying changes you. And Ben didn't want to watch his brother die anymore. 

Ben cried. Somehow he still could make this shape he was in, do that. It did nothing to relieve him of his pain. 

Right. He had to find Five and see if he's on the way. He needed to know. 

~~~~

Popping up in the academy, he felt absolutely disgusted. Here was Five, completely engrossed in his work, while Klaus was dying in an alley.

The clock on five's nightstand showed 5:23...that was almost 2 hours already! And Five seemed to have forgotten all about their brother. Scribbling on his walls with no care. Not once glancing at his clock, or giving any indication that he remembered or worried. 

Ben stared at his older brother in disbelief, until sounds shook him out of his stupor. 

The kitchen! Someone else was up! 

He popped down to see Diego rummaging around. 

This seemed to be a bit fruitless, and Ben couldn't bear to leave Klaus alone a second longer. 

When he popped back up next to the still figure on the ground, he almost got whiplash from the image of his care fee brothers and the one he sat and watched over. 

He resumed talking to Klaus about anything and everything. About how Diego was up and surely soon someone will know. Someone will come. He kept talking mindlessly, surveiling his brother's breathing all the while. Then a thought struck him and he knew it was the truth. 

He would never be able to trust Five again. 

Add that to his trauma list. Which, isn't that ironic? 

His living life was shit. One trauma followed the next and then he died. He died a gruesome and bloody death, but he thought, for a blissful moment, that at least, now it was over. No more suffering, no more pain, no more trauma. 

Then there was Klaus, and his afterlife went to shit as well. A big fucking Uno reverse card if he's ever seen one. 

And he wasn't complaining about staying with his brother. He knows he could make it end by moving on. And he loves Klaus. He really did. It was just… how was he supposed to be free of his pain, when his brother suffered so much? 

And Ben could do  _ nothing  _ but watch, advise, scold and hope. 

He hated how he hadn't helped Klaus when he was still in a body. He could have. He knows so many ways now that he could have helped Klaus back then when all his self destruction was still on a small scale. 

But he didn't and Klaus had to pay the price. 

Now he had to attone. He was in purgatory, forced to watch his loved ones suffer without being able to so much as hold a hand and it tore him apart more than the Horror ever could. 

So yea, he was supposed to be at peace finally, but instead he stockpiled trauma and grappled with survivors guilt. He  _ died _ and he had  _ survivor's  _ guilt. 

He should tell Klaus about that one when he woke up, this would be just his kind of humor. 

Since Klaus hadn't shown any change, Ben risked another trip. The sky was already brighter, so surely someone must have noticed by now. 

~~~

He arrived to Luther going around and waking his siblings. Ben could have cried from joy. Luther would go to wake Klaus, see he wasn't there, and then things would get moving! This was it! They could finally get Klaus help! 

But that wasn't what happened. 

Luther knocked, yelled gruffly, and then, at the silence just yelled again "if you don't get your lazy ass down by seven, you can forget about breakfast". 

Ben was seething. Good thing blood pressure wasn't a thing for him anymore. 

Still, he was between anger and disbelief. So he kept checking back and forth. 

He watched as Vanya arrived, still sleep drunken. He watched as Klaus breathing stopped for 43 seconds before it picked up again. He watched as Allison showed up and smalltalked with Vanya in the kitchen. 

He watched as the first people on their way to work passed the alley without seeing the dying man. He watched as Five returned from somewhere with eggs.

He watched as Klaus lips became tinged in blue. 

He watched as Five finally remembered.

He watched as Klaus' chest barely rose or sank.

He watched as his siblings ran out of the house with worried faces.

And he watched with unparalleled relief as Diego showed up at the mouth of the alley and spotted the figure on the ground not a moment too soon. 

The night was finally over. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I guess that means Diego's up next!
> 
> And eyyyy, 7.2k words later and I've got a plan where I'm taking this :D
> 
> But, if you wanna throw in some ideas, Who knows maybe I'll change course :)
> 
> Anyways. Thank you for all the commenting yall are doing. That's pure fuel! Love ya~
> 
> P.S. I finally figured out how to /italics/ heheheh


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW:
> 
> A bit more medical stuff and some cussing!

He almost missed it when he ran past the opening between two concrete buildings. 

'Almost' because suddenly the smell of  _ home _ was overwhelming.    
He stopped and blinked, once. Not  _ home _ , he corrected himself,  _ blood.  _ This alley smelled like blood.    
  
Diego gripped the kitchen knife that he had grabbed before storming out of the house, a little tighter and at the ready. Carefully, he peeked into the path between the buildings.    
Care turned out to not be necessary, because between dumpsters, trash and boxes, there was only one person, and that figure was just a heap of fabric and limbs. A sight that had become as uncomfortably familiar as the smell of blood.    
  
“Klaus!” he immediately sprinted towards the person. He hadn’t seen the person’s face yet, but somehow he knew it was his brother, and not some unfortunate stranger… who he would have helped regardless of course. He wasn’t a vigilante for the leather.    
  
(Presumably) Klaus didn’t react to his yell, and that was already alarming. Before he even reached his (presumably) brother, he had informed his family with a short “alley in Basker road, between the laundry shop and the bank.”    
  
Then he was crouched beside the mess of a person and his suspicion was confirmed. He quickly gave him a once over, while struggling to stay detached and in control. Klaus was a mess and for the first second Diego was afraid he wasn’t even breathing anymore.    
He held his hand in front of Klaus slightly parted lips and held his own breath. The small huffs of air he felt were both relieving and disconcerting.    
Next he carefully tried for the pulse. Too quick and slight, but  _ there _ .

when he gently opened his brother’s eyes, even in the sparse morning light that managed to reach the ground of the alley, he could tell that one pupil was blown wide, while the other wasn’t. It didn’t come as a surprise, seeing how blood pooled between curly hair.   
He wondered if Mom would be able to treat a concussion.   
  
Diego let out his own breath and inhaled deeply again. He needed to be able to think.   
What was next.   
  
He was relieved of that question by a flash of blue light.   
  
A wild mix of reactions erupted immediately. Gasps, grunts and shouts of “klaus”. Allison immediately dashed forward, no doubt to cradle her brother in her arms.   
  
Diego barely reacted in time to grab her arm. Probably harsher than he should have, but right now he didn’t give a fuck about a bruise on his sister, if it meant that his brother kept his chances of making it through this.   
  
“What the fuck are you doing Three” he spoke over her hiss of pain when she was pushed back, simultaneously Luther did the thing where he puffed out his chest in a gesture of intimidation. Very fitting for his whole ape schtick.   
  
“I _was_ trying to go help our brother, _Two_ ” she almost spat.   
  
They didn’t have time for this.   
  
“Listen up!” he said, steady and authoritative towards the whole group “No one is going to move him, period. I’m calling an ambulance, and if one of you tries anything, I will pin you to the ground with a knife.”   
  
Maybe this came out more aggressive than he had intended, but this was serious and left no room for foolish sentimental crap and Allison couldn’t just kiss it .. or rumor it better. Shit, he wished it was that easy.  
He didn’t listen to their responses as he fumbled with his phone, but he wasn’t oblivious to the look of confusion, worry and, well, anger. Though he figured this was only fair.   
  
A feminine voice answered his call, and after giving her the location and his assessment of the situation, she told him an ambulance would be there in five.   
  
He didn’t know if he should be concerned or relieved. Were 5 minutes too long in a situation like this?   
  
He kept his eyes on Klaus, but glanced at the rest of his family when someone tried to get his attention.   
  
“We should bring him to mom.” Five said. It wasn’t a question, but a challenge. Luther behind him nodded. Allison was busy mothering Vanya, who wasn’t used to gore violence and looked close to freaking out. At least Number Three was distracted from lovingly offing their brother.   
“You know how much he hates hospitals. This just seems really unnecessary.”   
  
This little shit.   
  
“ _U-U-Unnecessary??_ Ha-ve your eyes gone bad, o-o-old man? Getting our brother’s ass to a doc is _absolutely_ necessary!” there went his composure.   
  
“Diego!” Five didn’t seem to have much of that left either, as he teleported right in front of Diego to stab his finger in his chest to punctuate his point “ _You_ need to calm down, or god help me. Don't lash out without listening properly. This is not the time. I _meant_ that it seems unnecessary to put Klaus through what a hospital means to him. When he wakes up, surrounded by ghosts, he _will_ freak out. And we have mom. She is a fucking robot. She’s patched us up since we were kids, like she’s _programmed_ to do. Do you really want to trust human doctors who might make mistakes that Mom would never?”   
  
“Fine, I see your point.” Diego was sure he grunted this out more than he actually said it. “You’re right about calming down, a fight among ourselves wouldn't help Klaus. But you’re wrong about Mom!” he could see Five’s effort to let him finish in his pinched expression. Anger issues definitely ran in the family. The rest of his family had turned the part of their attention that wasn’t on Klaus, to him, even Vanya was alerted by Number Two saying something negative about Mom.   
  
“Yes, mom could always stitch us up, but we mainly suffered cuts and bruises. Some gunshot or stab wounds, this here is way more complex. And do you know if we have the appliances? I mean, Klaus will need a CT at _least_ , and I don’t know about you, but I haven’t seen one lying around at home. What about the number of hands? She is a Robot, but even she can’t just attach an extra arm. And yes, her programming makes her more reliable than a human, but _think._ of course I trust mom. I love her, I know we all do, but I can’t trust Reginald. You know, the ass who programmed her in the first place AND which he did almost _thirty_ years ago! Do you know how much medical progress was made since then? I don’t, but I am sure it’s a crucial amount.” he was definitely agitated again, but sue him.   
  
“Yea but Dad worked on a different standard, no? I mean he saved me.” Luther pointed at his body and Diego couldn’t help but to bite back “And at what cost.”   
  
He immediately knew that comment was cruel, when Luther’s expression hardened, but it was out, so he could only steamroll on.   
“Yes. He was a genius…. When it came to his _research,_ Luther! He would probably be able to make mom cut us to pieces and then put us back together like a puzzle, But can you really guarantee that he gave enough shits about all areas of modern medicine and us, that he would care to program mom with everything she needed to treat something possibly complex? I don’t want to trust Reginald Hargreaves with Klaus’ life. We already lost a brother to him, I don’t want to lose another.” By the end of the rant, Diego only felt tired. He hadn’t quite realised until he said it, but trusting mom, really meant trusting his father. Would they ever be free of him?   
  
Luther had also gone from bristling to deflated. Diego knew, he still worked through the concept that his “dad” wasn’t the great man he thought he was, but Diego was grateful that, in this moment, he didn’t seem interested in defending his father’s honor.   
  
In fact, everyone seemed to be mulling over what he had said. Even Five staggered back against the alley wall and sunk, rather than sat down. He dragged both his hands down his face, almost looking his actual age for a second, before exhaling a long breath.   
“I’m sorry. I should have trusted your assessment more.”   
  
Diego was stunned by the apology, but just before he wanted to reply, he could faintly hear it. Sirens that quickly grew in volume.   
  
“Thank god” someone breathed out. Probably Vanya.   
  
Everyone got off the ground and Allison jogged up to the entrance so she could hail the paramedics towards them. There was more relief in the air, but simultaneously the tension rose for new reasons.   
  
After the Ambulance stopped where Allison stood, everything happened in a flurry of flashing lights, and busy bodies. Klaus was handled like a raw egg by the paramedics, and got equipped with a neck brace, and then moved on a board, strapped down and immobilized. Diego knew then that not moving Klaus was the right call.   
  
More things happened, but it was hard to keep up. He only got back to himself when the Paramedics packed up and said only one of them could come along.   
  
There wasn’t much of a discussion. Luther was too big. Five was “a child”. Vanya was too unstable, and while everyone had leniently ignored the occasional clattering of the trash around them during this whole situation, she still was a risk.   
Allison might have been a contender.   
  
Though what none of them had, aside from Diego, was any knowledge of Klaus’ medical history. They all knew, he had broken his jaw once, and they knew he had taken drugs for years, but when it came to the details like “which drugs” or what other illnesses or injuries he had accumulated during his life on the streets? Diego knew the most.   
  
“We will blink over immediately.” Five promised, before the ambulance's door closed between him and Klaus and Diego.   
  
The Paramedics kept busy with hooking Klaus up on monitors and checking his vitals even as the car started moving. They all wore schooled expressions that were proof of their competence, and Diego felt like he could breathe a little easier.   
  
Until one of the medics, who looked vaguely familiar, now with a kicked expression, turned to him with a question. “What drugs is he under the influence of, right now? We need to know so we don’t cause more harm, or overlook something.”   
  
Diego was dumbstruck for a moment. Shouldn’t the question be “if” and not “what”?? But Diego quickly embraced the comfort of anger. “Watch it. You can’t just make assumptions like this. If his life wasn’t in your hands right now…” he might not have thrown his daggers, but his eyes must’ve conveyed as much.   
  
The paramedic immediately put up his hands in a placating gesture though and backpedaled as quickly as he could, “wait, please, you misunderstood. I just know him. His name is Klaus, right? Ever since I've worked here, I’ve had him in the ambulance a lot. Never while sober...so I thought… “ he looked a bit ashamed now and Diego felt like he just kicked a puppy.   
  
“Well there’s a first time for everything. He’s been off the drugs for a few months now.”  
  
“Oh, I see! That’s great!” the medic actually smiled fondly. “I thought of him sometimes, you know? Your brother could get shocked back to life, and his first reaction would be to laugh and fistbump or highfive you. Bouncing back from things must be his talent.” his smile turned more solemn then “I’m sure he’ll bounce back from this as well. When I hadn’t seen him for the past several months, I got worried that maybe he ODed after all, so I’m glad he’s alive. I just wish he stopped being a repeat customer.”  
  
The humor fell a bit flat, but Diego knew Klaus would have appreciated the attempt.   
  
They arrived at the hospital soon after and Diego was ushered to a space that looked like a waiting area: off-white walls, wooden chairs with blue polsters, some art at the walls and a fake plant in a corner. He was alone aside from an elderly man who was staring at the ground apathetically while cradling an empty paper cup. A nurse was with him at once, asking for some standard infos like name, date of birth etc, and for relevant questions like medical history, if he knew of a GP or a hospital that might have Klaus’ records.   
  
He answered her everything dutifully.   
  
The nurse, onwards in age and giving off the same kind energy as the lady from Griddy’s, took off with the infos after urging him to sit down on one of the chairs.   
She came back a moment later, and handed him a chocolate bar and a paper cup with juice.  
  
She said something about blood sugar after coming down from an adrenaline rush, and he just accepted the food and drink without a fuss, even though he thought it was overkill. He was a superpowered vigilante, after all, he lived off adrenaline. 

It was only when he grabbed the cup that he realized, just how much his hands shook.    
  


  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ben during the scenes: 
> 
> \- Diego arrives and is competent for once  
>  Ben: I'll take back everything I said about your leather kink
> 
> \- Family arrives and immediately starts an argument   
>  Ben: *wildly gesturing to Klaus while making confused noises of distress* 
> 
> \- In the Ambulance with the cute paramedic  
>  Ben: *looks between Klaus and him* .... *ships it like fedex*
> 
> ~~~~
> 
> and eyyy I granted Diego access to his one braincell :D
> 
> I did a lot of googling and Holla die Waldfee there's a lot you can do wrong with first aid.. please dont draw your knowledge from fanfics like this


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No CW
> 
> Just the usual swearing

"We will blink over immediately"... That was the idea, but things always get unnecessarily messy with this household. 

The flashing lights of the ambulance disappeared around a street corner, but the flashing of a police vehicle stayed. 

Five groaned internally. Great, they had to deal with useless officers now. Fan-fucking-tastic. 

Maybe he should have gone with Klaus after all and leave Diego to take care of this. 

Promptly a man with a badge, who introduced himself as detective Beaman, addressed the group, or more precisely, Allison. Huh, maybe not so useless, since he could tell from a glance that Vanya was in no state of mind -they should keep an eye on that-- to be helpful, she looked a little green by now. Saw that Luther was more than suspicious with his overcoat and proportions, not even his straight-white-male-ishness that he always tried to project out into the world at full force could offset that. Five himself might be the most competent in this group, but addressing the schoolboy would have been ridiculous for this Beaman person…. But Allison oozed mom-friend energy, probably because she was a mom, She was still pretty put together, keeping Vanya steady, but looking overall very awake. So picking her was a good choice. 

Five couldn't help but wonder if it was just having Claire that made her transform from bossy big sister that would rumor you to get her way, to someone, who was reliable and empathetic, without losing her cool in highly emotionally charged situations. 

Even when her throat got slashed by her own sister, she stayed grounded enough to see the bigger picture and defended Vanya in front of Luther. 

…. She still let her big bossy sister side take the wheel enough times, for it to be annoying though. But at least now without the rumors. 

The detective started questioning them on what they knew, like when Klaus was last seen, possible reasons why he'd get attacked, enemies or connections around here, and he was only mildly annoyed by Five info-dumping him in a tone between exasperation and condescension. 

Five had no reason to play the kid and the detective seems competent enough to handle a little attitude, so it all panned out. 

Meanwhile another officer secured the crime scene. 

Huh. Sometimes Five can't help but be surprised by where the usual standards are. But they were right, this  _ was  _ a crime scene, wasn't it. 

Spending decades without society, growing up in a murder-is-good household, and generally just living with the habit of beating up whoever deserves it, kinda makes it hard to keep track what's considered "normal" violence and what's an offense. Or was it that no violence was okay? Nah that can't be. That would be super inconvenient. 

But either way, he won't complain. If the police actually do their job and find out who did this, he might get to vanish them from the face of the earth before Klaus even wakes up. Everyone would like that. 

For a moment he considered making it a family activity, but then something twisted in his gut and he knew he wanted to do this by himself. Not just wanted.  _ Had to.  _

The interview didn't take long in the end but before dismissing them, Beaman let something in his expression fall and spoke in a much softer, less professional tone. 

"I know you will all want to 'avenge' your brother, but please let us do our job first." 

Five stared at him slightly warningly. This cop must know the umbrella academy well, to already put two and two together. But he seems a bit too  _ personally  _ invested. Five didn't like that. 

"operating outside of the law is not something I… condone, but that aside, it's in  _ everyone's _ interest that we get the assaultants and charge them by law. If you meddle with this in any way, chances are, we won't be able to do that and even if we found who did that to your brother, we would have to let them go. So  _ please,  _ don't do anything rash. Just, be there for your brother for now and let us handle the crime fighting…. and keep an eye on Diego. I don't want to have to arrest him  _ again _ for obstructing police investigation." he had looked serious. Like he really wanted justice for their brother. Then his tone shifted to something more relaxed as he added the last part "also tell Diego I said hi, and that I'm sorry for what happened. If he, or Klaus, need anything, they shouldn't hesitate." 

  
  


Ah. So that was why he acted so close, he actually was… Friends (?) with Diego, and apparently even knew Klaus in person. Interesting.

Five nodded in agreement to the requests, but internally he grinned. So Diego had connections with the police still. That could make things easier. Getting their files, once they evaluated the evidence and data, will make it a piece of cake to calculate who was responsible for this. And Beaman had nothing to worry about. There  _ will  _ be justice. 

He noticed Allison looking at him with an expression that let him know he wasn't fooling anyone...but oh well, he didn't care much for her judging. 

He was about to announce that they would jump now, when she spoke up though. 

"I know we all want to get to the hospital as fast as we can, but I think we should stop at home first." 

Protests by the other two followed immediately. Vanya didn't like the idea of leaving Diego and Klaus alone, and Luther didn't quite like being pushed around like he was today apparently but also wanted to get everything over with more quickly and get back to training. 

Generally, both of them didn't quite seem to understand why Allison would suggest a detour. 

Five shot them his best glare to convey his annoyance at their behavior. 

He had seen how Allison kept looking worriedly at Vanya the whole time they've been out, or how she kept checking on how tightly coiled Luther's muscles were.

Five noticed  _ how she noticed _ , so he could tell where she was going with this. Probably not a bad call either, when looking at the tense mountain of muscles and the much more unassuming time bomb under Allison's arm. He personally didn't like wasting time with such banalities in the face of a bigger picture, but he was no fool and knew that Klaus wouldn't be up for another few minutes, and then it'd still take time until the staff would let them see him. He was a bit worried about Diego on his own, throwing knives in a hospital sounds like both a bad idea, and something he would do. Possibly with scalpels. But oh well, you gotta let kids do their thing or they'll never grow up. And Diego already proved his competence today. As long as it hasn't run out from those ten minutes of use, he should be fine for another ten. 

The other two were still arguing, even though it slowly morphed into another argument between Luther and Vanya. 

He didn't care about dealing with this  _ again _ so he just ignored their protests and announced, "Let's go then." He put a hand on Luther and Allison, who in return already had a hand on Vanya's shoulder-

And blinked them back into their kitchen. 

"Now" he started, taking full advantage of their stunned silence from after the trip. Ah silence. Already been too long. "we will probably spend a lot of time waiting today, and I can tell  _ some _ of us" he pointedly looked between Luther and Vanya "are either very repressed, or shaken enough to blow some stuff up. And while I also want to know about Klaus, it's still our priority to not let another apocalypse happen."

"i wasn't- I wouldn't-... Just-" Vanya caught Allison's raised eyebrow and crossed arms and smartly shut up. 

"So. You will all take a moment to calm the fuck down. Have some breakfast, and  _ then _ we'll go." Five was very much content with the lack of protests. Even though Luther looked like he bit in a lemon. But that was probably just from being told what to do again… or it was just his regular expression. Didn't really matter right now either way. 

When he predictably went to make himself some coffee (he's  _ so _ going to pack a thermos. Not gonna deal with vending machine junk, no thanks.) Allison shot him another look at if to call him out on something. 

But he didn't look too deeply into it. 

Ever since Allison's time without a voice, her stares have become  _ very  _ impressive. Still no challenge for Five's perfect ability to shut out everyone's bullshit though. 

  
  


Soon everyone was back down to some personal base level of 'calm'. Which meant Luther wasn't about to choke anyone and Vanya didn't seem torn between throwing up and ending the world. 

  
  


And by the end of it everyone had eaten something. Vanya had protested at first, but couldn't refuse when Five claimed to have gone out of his way to make a sandwich for them to share. Luther didn't really have problems with eating at the worst of times, his metabolism demanded it (also he seemed like a stress eater). And Allison was still in her "responsible adult" mode, so she had something too. 

Five knew this regrouping had been necessary, but the twisting in his stomach grew with every minute they spent basically doing nothing, so by the end of it, when they were finally good to go, he was fairly impressed with how he hadn't snapped at anyone just yet. And anyone who's seen Luther slow-voring a mountain of scrambled eggs, knew what kind of feat that was. 

Now, for the third time this morning, they held on to each other and Five blinked. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not my best, but ey, a cameo and the nice mental image of Luther eating eggs.
> 
> Next chapter Vanya's POV!  
> I already got three pages down and she's fun. She's very different to write than the Boyz, much more flowery, less assholy, and somehow she ends up over analyzing Kafka's metamorphosis. It's gonna be fun times :) 
> 
> Also over 10k words!! And you're still here, thank you so much!
> 
> And to those who keep commenting. ILY. 💜


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW:
> 
> Pretty dark headspace and death gets contemplated a lot. 
> 
> Also MAJOR spoilers for Kafka's metamorphosis.

Arriving at the hospital was a plunge into cold water. 

God knows their home wasn't the poster child for domestic warmth, but they've been trying. 

So going from home to stark artificial lights, smells of disinfectant and cleaning products, buzzing people and brisk air-conditioned air, felt like a punch in the gut. 

It wasn't as bad as when they had blinked into the alley- nothing could compare to materialising in front of your beaten and unconscious brother.

Still she felt relief when Allison stepped up, again, and talked to the front desk nurse. 

Vanya could have talked to the tired looking man at the computer, but she didn't want to. 

Even when Five manipulated her into having breakfast earlier- and she was well aware of that, though in all of his "great and cunning wisdom" he hadn't realised that he was tricked into consuming more than coffee himself- it had gone over with minimal talking from her side. 

After Allison's efforts they quickly found their way through the halls and to a small sitting area. They couldn't have missed it with how Diego stood out as a dark smudge of leather and gloom against an otherwise bright and pastel room. 

"Any news?" Luther this time. 

Diego looked up slightly from his slouched position and shook his head before looking down again. 

She probably wasn't the only one who didn't feel like talking right now. 

After that everyone followed suit and settled wordlessly. 

~~~

There was a clock at the wall, one of those that didn't tick, just moved it's hand a bit after a minute passed, but even so, time felt elusive. 

She would look up at the clock sometimes after what felt like an eternity, to see that only a few minutes had passed. Or she would only glance away from it for a fraction of a moment, only to realize that she's lost time. 

She found that she didn't mind losing time right now, since it drew the moment where they would get news closer than it should be. 

When hurried footsteps finally did beeline towards them, all- and no time had passed. 

Vanya wasn't the first to notice the doctor, but also not the last, so she got to watch several of her siblings snap out of their daze at the promise of news.

The woman that was hurrying towards them with an assertive step, was hard to read, her face only a mask of professionalism. If they hadn't been in this situation, Vanya would have found her stunning, with the dark skin that stood in a vivid contrast to the pale green scrubs, but she was a pandora box, ambiguous to what kind of news she would deliver… That really distracted from any attractiveness. 

Her voice was more empathetic than Vanya would have expected, but she was grateful for it. 

"Are you Klaus Hargreeve's family?" she asked with only a hint of a raised eyebrow at the mismatched mix of people in the room. After a round of affirmations and Allison's quick "we're adopted", the doctor… Surgeon(?) went on with a curt nod. 

"I've come to update you on Klaus' condition. He is currently undergoing surgery. The amount of blunt force caused a serious concussion with bleeding in the brain, we are currently working to release the pressure that has built up. Additionally he suffered damage to his left kidney, but the damage is minor and there is only a low risk that he might lose it. There are also several fractures that we are tending to, but our priority currently is with preventing any severe brain damage."

She paused for a moment, looking at all their faces to gauge if they have taken everything in. 

Vanya was too stunned to really react. When the Doctor arrived she had jumped up from her seat, but now she sat back. Slowly. She was starting to feel dizzy, this was just too much. Brain damage? That's… She was prepared for bruises and fractures, not something of that magnitude. 

She risked a look at her siblings. Diego just seemed to not be quite there right now, Vanya knew that sometimes emotions took a while to catch up with him, but when they did, they would hit like a thunderstorm and all his pent up anger would lash out. Allison was still the most composed. She had a crease between her eyebrows and her cheeks were wet, but she looked the Doctor in the eyes, calm and present. 

Luther kind of looked like he just found out the Easter bunny wasn't real. It didn't surprise her. In Luther's world, everything was a bit cartoonish, there's super villains and heroes, grand missions and destinies. She was pretty sure he imagined Klaus' state just like she did. Superficial. Still worrisome, but easy to heal. Some big bandaids here a cast there. They would find Klaus sitting in a hospital bed, eating jello and making inappropriate jokes about someone having to draw a dick on his cast. 

Or maybe it was just that Luther never saw Klaus as someone who could have something serious happen to him. Ever. Even though it always did. 

Vanya didn't know the whole story of Klaus's life, but what she could piece together was an honest to God shitshow. 

The last one she observed was Five. He was behaving weirdly. His expression was pinched and only turned darker when the Doctor finished her briefing. 

"I know things sound very intense right now, but I assure you that we have the best people on staff right now and we will do our best to make sure Klaus will get the best care we can provide. 

And he was lucky you found him as quickly as you did. Half an hour later and things would have looked a lot more grim. Time is really essential with those things, and you all did well."

Five's expression had turned straight out unreadable. He wasn't just scowling, his face was twisted as if he was in pain. 

Though as soon as she saw it, it was gone. His expression settled back to his default stank face. 

The doctor informed them that things will still take time and she has to join back in with her team, but she will brief them again after the surgery. 

She didn't say a word about a prognosis. That struck Vanya as a red flag, but she's also seen enough medical dramas to know that doctor's can't make promises. Not while things are in quick motion, so she really couldn't tell if this was bad or not. 

The doctor left at the same speed she had arrived, plunging the waiting area back into silence as if she took all noise with her. 

Some quick glances were exchanged after but no one wanted to discuss the new wave of news that had hit them. 

She herself didn't want to, either. She was very much okay with drawing further into herself. 

The air around them was uncomfortable and felt charged as if one wrongly placed word could set something off that was better left dormant. 

And it wasn't even just now, after the update. 

No, ever since they had found Klaus, a question had been left unspoken. 

It was an elephant in the room. It was big enough to take up all the space of the waiting area, breathing up all the oxygen and smothering them against the walls, immobilizing them enough to prevent them from reaching out to each other…. And every single one of their family seemed adamant on ignoring it. 

It felt strange. They were all in this room together, but no one acted like it. They were all brooding, or pacing, or clenching fists and staring off into space and Vanya thought she was about to be crushed under the weight of it. 

Over the years she had gotten really good at recognizing the symptoms of anxiety in herself, in the tightness of her chest, or the chasing of her thoughts. This wasn’t so different, except it was. The pressure against her lungs was amplified by the weight of the elephant. 

She was used to being alone with her unease and her spiraling. She knew how to pull herself out of it on her own, she'd had practice and therapy for this… but secretly, she had always imagined that maybe, if she wasn’t alone during it, it would be so much easier. She had always longed for the support of her family when it got hard to breathe, or when her mind wouldn’t sit still, and if not support and help per se, then closeness at least, she thought it would be easier just by having someone there. 

Now she realized, she had romanticized her family yet again. The bricks that piled on her ribcage, had only multiplied by each of the family members present. It was crushing her. 

And with a pang of macabre irony, she thought to herself how, despite his obnoxiousness and lack of tact, Klaus was the only one who always brought _levity_ to situations that would otherwise drown them... To situations like _this_. 

He didn’t _cure_ anyone of their worries, but he took some of the weight away and made it easier to fill your lungs. He directed thoughts that would otherwise run in circles, to instead follow him, his stories, his overshining presence. He had a good sense for when distraction and deflection was necessary to keep everyone afloat. 

Vanya let out a sigh against the quietness and let herself miss Klaus, miss levity and she couldn’t stop wondering if her brothers and sisters were even aware of Klaus’ part in their dynamic and how he would salvage this situation with his presence alone. She seriously doubted it. 

Vanya had always been an outsider. Looking in through a thick glass plane. Always observing, always objective, even if the window she looked in from was rose tinted. 

From this perspective she cautiously claimed to know the truth of how everyone felt about Klaus and she couldn’t help but feel for him. 

Vanya had been excluded for her _lack_ of power and their father's efforts. 

Klaus had been included _only_ for his power. 

They were in strangely opposite positions, yet there was also a correlation that forged a bond between them, like reflections of a mirror or the sides of the same coin. They were both different, but the same. 

It was honestly hard for her to tell which position was worse to be in, if she would have liked to swap places with him. Though considering how her siblings treated her only like air, but Klaus like a nuisance at the best of times, and a cockroach that they weren’t allowed to get rid of at the worst of times, she might not have to think so deeply about the answer. 

And wasn’t that just the metaphor. Klaus was a bug to them, wasn’t he? 

Like Kafka’s creature that crawled up the walls, frightening in his behaviour, and disgusting to watch as he devoured garbage and crawled about. He lived under their couch and all that kept them from squishing him, was his status as their brother. 

Vanya couldn’t stop but follow this trail- she'd never been a bookworm like Ben, but she was an author so she knew her classics and now, something about the Metamorphosis wouldn't let go of her train of thought and details of the story invited themselves in. 

It felt all too relevant. The story's father’s disappointment when the son-turned-bug became unable to perform his job. The sister's- Greta’s initial spark of interest to help her brother, only to lose interest over time… and wasn’t it ironic that the sister in the story also played the violin? The whole family's effort to keep the bug away from the public’s eye to keep face. 

In the story, the bug- Gregor, died. He died to spare his family of the burden that he was to them. 

He died for them and his family only felt relief. Pure relief that they were finally rid of him. 

Vanya didn’t want to draw the parallel all the way to Klaus. She really didn’t, but her thoughts have spiraled and the heaviness on her chest felt like a mountain with no one to bring back levity. 

So her mind raced on, to Klaus, to the dead bug, to Klaus in the alley, bloodied and broken, how he lay between dumpsters, to a family that felt relief when the bug died, to Klaus who’s breathing had been barely there, to the bug no one spoke to unless it was words of anger, to Klaus, who was being cut open this very moment in a battle to fix something that would otherwise kill him. Still might.

She rested her head in her hands and her elbows on her knees. The waiting area sunk away around her as she stared blindly at the linoleum floor. 

And what had they done? What were they doing? They let this happen. They hadn't been there for him in such a long time either. 

And… had they ever, truly, to begin with? 

Her thoughts drifted back to the book. Something in her was determined to not let her let it go. As if there was something within the pages that she had to realize. 

The sister in the story drew her in the most. She had been the only one to help Gregor, not unlike she and some of her siblings had tried to help Klaus initially. But it only made this parallel worse. 

_Her determination may also have arisen from the romantic enthusiasm of girls her age that seeks expression at every opportunity and tempted Grete to overplay the horror of Gregor’s predicament in order that she might perform even more heroically on his behalf than previously._

When they had helped Klaus was it also out of self righteous heroism? Because it made them look good? Because that's what heroes were supposed to do? 

_Gregor’s serious injury, from which he suffered for almost a month . . . served to remind even the father that Gregor, despite his now pathetic and repulsive shape, was a member of the family who could not be treated as an enemy; on the contrary, in accordance with family duty they were required to quell their aversion and tolerate him, but only tolerate._

When Klaus came home as barely a teen, from nights full of alcohol and drugs, was it care they gave him? Or just tolerance. Their father for sure only tolerated him. After he became just a dissapointment to him, he tolerated him, if barely. And Vanya was afraid to consider that maybe her and her siblings weren't much better. 

“ _Things can’t go on like this. Maybe you don’t realize it, but I do. I refuse to pronounce my brother’s name in front of this monstrosity, and so I say: We have to try to get rid of it. We’ve done everything humanly possible to care for it and tolerate it; I don’t believe anyone could reproach us._

_He must go,” cried Gregor’s sister, “that’s the only solution. You must just try to get rid of the idea that this is Gregor. The fact that we’ve believed it for so long is the root of all our trouble.”_

At what point had Their Klaus become The Junkie, a thing that lived on the streets, not wanted and pushed out of their lives. 

Because they had. There was nothing to sugarcoat. At some point they all had given up on Klaus. He became something that was just barely their brother. It made it easier for them to wash their hands of any responsibility. He wasn't their brother anymore, nor really, just barely, so they justified cutting him out of their lives. They were all guilty of this. 

_His thoughts, full of tenderness and love, went back to his family. He was even more firmly convinced than his sister, if possible, that he should disappear_.

Klaus had always tried to self destruct. He had been killing himself for the longest, in silence, despite his constant volume. He tried to disappear. For whose benefit? 

In the story that her mind clawed itself into, the bug had died and the family felt relief. 

In the present her brother had been dying back in the alley. Klaus still _might die._

Klaus might die. He might die. The bug died and the family felt relief. If Klaus died, what would her family feel?

When Klaus dies, will they also-

“Vanya. Shhh, hey, it’s okay, look at me, everythings going to be alright.” Diego’s voice was soft like chocolate milk and gently pulled her mind back to the waiting room, just like he gently pulled her hands from where they were gripping at her hair. 

She lifted her head and was greeted by her siblings’ eyes that held such a mix of emotions that she couldn’t possibly entangle how much of it was fear for Klaus, fear for her … and fear _of_ her. 

She was aware of the water that ran down her cheeks in an uncomfortable temperature. She couldn’t remember when she had started to cry, but she knew she started to blatantly sob once Diego pulled her into a hug. 

She buried her head in his neck, and hugged him back. She cried while he held her together, and while it didn’t bring her levity, it brought her _catharsis_. 

Klaus and her, they were a mirror image of each other, two sides of the same coin, twisted in polar opposites by the same force. 

Klaus had been a bug, but she had been air. 

After her autobiography, maybe she had become even less than that. A vacuum that pulled the last vestiges of affection out of her siblings and left nothing but anger. She had been a black hole for Diego’s fondness for her. 

The warm body that held her tightly reminded her that things were different now. Things were changing. 

She had been air, but now Diego held her like she was solid. In this moment, there was no anger or contempt or betrayed trust. All he was giving her was care and comfort and warmth. 

There was no levity without Klaus, but there was catharsis. 

Things were different now. 

And they were mirror images. 

If she was able to become solid again…. then Klaus would not die as a bug.

That was the logic. Things changed for her. So things must have changed for him. Their family treated Vanya like a person instead of air, so they must have started treating Klaus like a person instead of a bug. 

They were mirror images after all. 

She clung to this thought as she clung to her brother and tried desperately to push away the tendril of doubt.

She tried to push it down, but the tendril whispered and kept whispering. Her powers had appeared just like that…hadn’t that also been a metamorphosis? 

When her family cared, was it really more than obligation? Obligation to save the world, obligation to the ones under the title of family. 

They had cared for Klaus at first because he was family. Because they were heroes. Until the obligation became a burden. 

They cared about her now, because she was family. Because they were heroes. 

Until when? 

Did they really treat Klaus like a person, or was that part of the act to keep her believing that things had changed. Was he just a prop in this? 

Was he really a person to them? 

And if he was just a bug after his transformation back then. 

What was she after her own? 

Can she really be air or a person, if he was just a bug? 

They were mirror images after all. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And they were roommates.
> 
> ~~~~
> 
> Klaus' secondary power is revealed! It's Levitati- *cough* levity. It's levity.  
> .... I mean levitation, who? Never heard of her. 
> 
> ~~~~  
> 3.3k words! Almost 7 pages for our tiniest light bulb. 
> 
> Okay so Vanya was fun as expected bc she's so vastly different to write compared to the Boyz. All flowery and introspective. 
> 
> Even tho she completely got a mind of her own and started to quote Kafka. Dunno how that happened. I just let them do their thing and sometimes their thing is high-school level edginess. 
> 
> Honestly, everyone in this family is so unbelievably extra. 
> 
> Anywho, she wrote an entire melodramatic book about her daddy issues, so I think referencing Kafka is fair game here. 
> 
> (Also if you haven't read the Metamorphosis... Pls do! It's a classic for a reason.  
> And it's pretty relevant thematically... Or more like timeless?
> 
> There's is a man who turns into a bug... Which sounds off-putting.... But it's a metaphor. He just suddenly can't "function" in society anymore.  
> His behavior is different. He can't verbally communicate anymore.  
> Like.. Think a stroke, or a sudden illness or something along those lines.  
> With the bug imagery it sounds pretty abelists at first, but Gregor himself is actually pretty happy with his Form per se.  
> It's his family that react negatively and disgusted... And THAT is shown as very antagonistic by the book.  
> The book doesn't show Gregor as anything /less/, he has just changed. He's not better or worse, he's just different.  
> Meanwhile his family changes throughout the book and just becomes objectively worse. They are the dicks and you can hate them with a passion. Not unlike Reggie.  
> It discusses serious topics while being frighteningly bizarre.  
> So ye, its a timeless classic for reasons.)


End file.
